Announcements: 2018 Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law; Multinational Indicted for Crimes in Syria; 7th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference; CfP International Law and National Security; CfP Economic Constitutionalism; AHRI 2018

1. 2018 Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. This annual Program, from May 29 – June 15 2018 offers 20 courses in English and Spanish lectured by over 40 scholars of relevance in the field of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. The Program gathers more than 150 participants from more than 25 different countries with different levels of professional experience all in Washington D.C. for an intensive 3 weeks of full immersion into the world of human rights. The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law provides through this Program the opportunity to learn and interact with judges of the ICC, the ICJ, Special Rapporteurs and Committee members of United Nations, members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, experts from prominent NGO’s and professors from all over the world. The Program is offered in three categories that include the Certificate of Attendance for law students, HR professionals and lawyers of any country, ABA Credits for U.S. law students and finally, the Diploma Course that is offered to a select group of 35 law professionals. Deadline for applications is 1 May 2018.  Please contact  hracademy {at} wcl.american(.)edu for more information. See here to apply, and here for the brochure.

2. Multinational Indicted for Crimes in Syria: The French Case against Company Lafarge. At this event, on 22 February from 18:30pm-20:00pm in Berlin (conducted in English), speakers will discuss how multinational companies, driven by economic interests, can fuel conflicts and engage in serious human rights violations. They will explore the importance of legal accountability of all actors involved in war crimes in Syria as a prerequisite for peace and stability in the region. In the Lafarge case, a complaint was filed on behalf of 11 former Syrian Lafarge employees who argue that by doing business with the terrorist group ISIS – which Lafarge has by now acknowledged – the company may be complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity, and endangered the plaintiffs’ lives. Since the heavily-evidenced case was filed, plaintiffs have been heard, Lafarge’s headquarters raided, and its directors indicted. This case can be a game changer in a field desperate for precedents establishing corporate responsibility for international crimes. Register at event {at} ecchr(.)eu until 19 February 2018 (please note that no confirmation will be sent). For more details contact Anabel Bermejo at bermejo {at} ECCHR(.)eu.

3. 7th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference. The Cambridge International Law Journal is pleased to open the registration for the 7th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference. The Conference will be held at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, on the 3 – 4 April 2018. This year’s theme is ‘Non-State Actors and International Law’ and will feature a broad range of panels that discuss pressing topics under this theme. We are delighted to announce that Professor Olivier De Schutter of the Université catholique de Louvain, member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and former UN Special Rapporteur, and Professor Jorge E. Viñuales of the University of Cambridge will deliver the keynote addresses for the Conference. Registration and other relevant details about the Conference may be found here. 

4. Call for Papers: International Law and National Security. The ICRC Delegation in Washington, and faculty from Cardozo Law School, Stanford Law School, and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, welcome submissions for a papers workshop focusing on international law and national security. Papers must be in progress, and will be critiqued by IHL experts at a one-day event held at Cardozo Law School in New York City on 18 June 2018. See the call for papers here.